By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
While many other Shawnee County basketball teams have sat idle during the recent run of inclement weather in the area, Hayden's girls have been able to get in two games over the past four days.
Hayden senior Lauren Sandstrom (5) registered game-highs of 16 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 55-29 win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And the second-ranked (Class 3A) Wildcats have taken full advantage of that opportunity, running their record to 8-1 with a pair of lopsided wins, including Tuesday's 55-29 non-league decision over city rival Shawnee Heights at the Bueltel Activity Center.
"It's nice playing,'' Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said. "We all hate having games cancelled because the girls work really hard at practice and love the game so it's been nice that we've been able to play.''
After taking a 61-32 Centennial League win at Topeka High last Friday, Hayden picked up where it left off Tuesday night, running its win streak to three game while trailing just once in the game, at 2-0.
Hayden ended the opening quarter with a 16-2 run to open up a commanding 16-4 advantage and the Wildcats built a 33-15 cushion at the half.
"I was really happy with our energy tonight,'' Reynoldson said. "I wasn't real happy with how we played Friday, and especially early. We got beat to some 50-50 balls that we normally don't and tonight we were really, really good at being the first to the ball.''
The Wildcats then hit the T-Birds with a 16-8 third quarter to take a 49-23 lead into the fourth stanza and Reynoldson emptied his bench down the stretch, with 13 Hayden players seeing action and nine cracking the scoring column.
Senior Lauren Sandstrom drives for a reverse layup in Tuesday's 55-29 Hayden win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Lauren Sandstrom continued her recent hot streak, leading the Wildcats with game-high totals of 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Hayden junior Norma Greco (30) scored 14 points with a pair of 3-pointers in the Wildcats' 55-29 win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Junior Norma Greco added 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while junior Brylee Meier added eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Shawnee Heights (5-3) struggled offensively against the Wildcats, shooting 18.4 percent from the field, as freshman KK Emmot led the T-Birds with 10 points (two 3-pointers) before fouling out.
Senior Breezy Canady scored seven points for Heights while sophomore Reianna Vega had six points and nine rebounds for the T-Birds.
HAYDEN 55, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 29
Shawnee Heights 4 11 8 6 -- 29
Hayden 16 17 16 6 -- 55
Shawnee Heights (5-3) -- Emmot 3-9 2-2 10, Schulte 1-8 0-0 3, Canady 2-11 2-4 7, Vega 2-9 2-2 6, Swift 0-0 0-0 0, Brees 1-4 0-0 3, Euwer 0-1 0-2 0, Bowers 0-5 0-0 0, Torrez 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 9-49 6-10 29.
Hayden (8-1)-- Grunert 1-6 0-2 3, Sandstrom 5-14 6-7 16, Reid 0-0 0-0 0, Meier 3-10 2-2 8, Greco 4-6 4-8 14, Fulton 2-7 2-3 6, Reese Huscher 1-1 0-0 2, Reagan Huscher 1-2 0-0 3, Connell 0-1 1-2 1, Mitchell 0-0 0-2 0, Borjon 0-0 0-0 0, Foster 0-1 0-0 0, Gregg 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 18-49 15-26 55.
3-point goals -- Shawnee Heights 5 (Emmot 2, Brees, Schulte, Canady), Hayden 4 (Greco 2, Grunert, Reagan Huscher). Total fouls -- Shawnee Heights 18, Hayden 14. Fouled out -- Emmot.
